Works of Thomas Hardy discussion

'According to the Mighty Working'

I

When moiling seems at cease
In the vague void of night-time,
And heaven's wide roomage stormless
Between the dusk and light-time,
And fear at last is formless,
We call the allurement Peace.

II

Peace, this hid riot, Change,
This revel of quick-cued mumming,
This never truly being,
This evermore becoming,
This spinner's wheel onfleeing
Outside perception's range.

Written in 1917, first published in the "Athenaeum" in 1919, and collected in "Late Lyrics and Earlier" in 1922.

Glossary:

moiling - toil
mumming - mechanical acting, the automatic processes of the cosmos
spinner's wheel - the Fates who spin and cut the web of life

Related quote from Chapter 18 of "The Mayor of Casterbridge"

Elizabeth-Jane is thinking about life as she sits by the bedside of her dying mother as the clock ticks harder and harder.

". . . and all this while the subtle-souled girl asking herself why she was born, why sitting in a room, and blinking at the candle; why things around her had taken the shape they wore in preference to every other possible shape. Why they stared at her so helplessly, as if waiting for the touch of some wand that should release them from terrestrial constraint; what that chaos called consciousness, which spun in her at this moment like a top, tended to, and began in."

The Origin of the Title "According to the Mighty Working"

The title comes from the Anglican Burial Service's description of the resurrection of the body:

"Christ . . . shall change our vile body; that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself."

Also, "the mighty working" in Ephesians 1:19 refers to the power of God which is actively at work in the lives of believers.

Hardy had a strong Christian religious background from his childhood, and a good knowledge of the Bible. He was an agnostic later in his life.

Hardy's Expressions for a Cosmic Force or Power

Hardy writes about "This spinner's wheel onfleeing" in the poem "According to the Mighty Working." This poem shares ideas from "Convergence of the Twain," a poem about the Titanic led by Bridget last year with its phrase "the Spinner of the Years."

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Hardy has used various phrases to name the unconscious force behind creation and the cosmos such as "The Immanent Will," "The Willer," "The All-One," "The Mover," etc in many other poems. Hardy has also used Chance or Fate--everything for which man has no control--as a fictional device. There is a reality that transcends human understanding.

The Poem Was Written Post-War

The poem was written in 1917, and was first published in John Middleton Murry's "Athenaeum" in 1919 when Hardy was asked for a topical piece. The peace after World War I brought hope, but also the potential for further conflict. Zionism was an important topic in Great Britain at that time, and Palestine was a British protectorate from 1920-1948.

You may remember that Pamela recently presented the poem "Jezreel" about Allenby's attack on Jezreel in Palestine in 1918.

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Over to you!

Connie

Thank you for this poem which furthers my understanding of Hardy and how he thinks about and constructs his novels around the concept of Fate. I confess that upon returning to read Hardy I am much more fully embracing his vision of the world.

In this poem the word that jumped out at me was ‘seems’ found in line one “When moiling seems at cease.” All through the poem I felt uneasy. Words and expressions throughout the poem such as “vague void”, “Between”, “And fear at last is formless”, “perceptions”, and many others combined to place me in a state of unease. We are one with the world, and yet the world is too often formless and untethered.

First and foremost I enjoy reading Dickens. More and more I see him and Hardy to inhabit opposite poles of existence. Dickens meanders along, and in the end the ‘bad’ are usually punished and the ‘good’ rewarded. With Hardy, I feel much less certain, and am in a state of reading vertigo. Sooner or later, with Hardy, it seems the bottom falls out from beneath both a reader’s feet and most of the character's lives.

Thank you for a very thought-provoking poem, Connie, as well as the wonderful details about when it was written and Hardy's thoughts. I have read it but once and see the darkness that it details. It's one of those poems that I think I will have to read several times to get the fullness of his words.

Pamela wrote: "Thank you for a very thought-provoking poem, Connie, as well as the wonderful details about when it was written and Hardy's thoughts. I have read it but once and see the darkness that it details. I..."

I find it a bit hermetic for the time being, but reading it again will help.

Off topic: You did a great job Pamela! I walked on rehov Allenby (Allenby Street) in Tel-Aviv and know about the eponymous bridge too and Har Megiddo (Megiddo Hill), so that Thomas Hardy's poem and your comments are a great addition!

Peter wrote: "Connie

Thank you for this poem which furthers my understanding of Hardy and how he thinks about and constructs his novels around the concept of Fate. I confess that upon returning to read Hardy I ..."

Uneasy is a great word to describe how the poem makes us feel, Peter. That's also how Elizabeth-Jean feels as her mother draws close to death, bringing so much uncertainty into her own life.

I find Hardy to be more fatalistic and pessimistic than Dickens, and his humor is more subtle.

Pamela and Claudia, thank you for your comments. I agree that it's a poem that has to be read several times. The poem gives us the feeling that much is in the hands of Fate or Chance, and beyond our control.

The first stanza is relatively peaceful or "stormless." The second stanza gives the feeling that Fate could spin things out of control at any time.

Thank you for your explanations and comments, and preparation work, Connie!

Thomas Hardy's poems linked to his novels (I know of one particular poem linked to The Woodlanders) and your work while presenting some of them in the course of our common reading of The Mayor of Casterbridge is much appreciated!

Claudia wrote: "Thank you for your explanations and comments, and preparation work, Connie!

Thomas Hardy's poems linked to his novels (I know of one particular poem linked to The Woodlanders) and y..."

It's my pleasure, Claudia. We all benefit if we take turns doing deep dives in various works, and I appreciate all your effort with Gaskell's novels.

First off, thank you Connie for connecting this poem not just to the chapter, but also to "Jezreel" and "Convergence of the Twain". I would not have thought of them, but the connection you draw is a good one. It reminds me too of the "President of the Immortals" at the end of Tess.

About the poem . . . I understand the first stanza to mean that "vague void of night" and "fear at last formless" are states of being that are enticing, or alluring. And that those states lead to a feeling of peace.

But then the second stanza does not have a peaceful feel to it. The first line is confusing Peace, this hid riot, Change. I think it means that the "alluring peace" is masking (or hiding) an unseen riot, which is really just the chaos of change.

And then there are all the gerunds, indicating restlessness and movement (the opposite of peace): mumming, being, becoming, onfleeing. I don't know that I can articulate exactly what that last stanza means. But I do feel it's connection to Elizabeth's half hallucinatory state during her mother's last night on earth.

It works too as a commentary on the instability of the armistice of WWI. Thank you, Connie, for pointing that out!

Bridget wrote: "And then there are all the gerunds, indicating restlessness and movement (the opposite of peace): mumming, being, becoming, onfleeing..."

I like how you mention all those gerunds with their -ing endings and sense of movement in stanza 2, Bridget. It feels like a storm of chaos is swirling and building up, something that we have no way to control.

The poem is interesting because it can be interpreted as personal peace and chaos (such as the feelings of Elizabeth-Jane), or in a larger view as peace and chaos in the world.

Bridget wrote: "It reminds me too of the "President of the Immortals" at the end of Tess..."

For anyone who has not read Tess of the D’Urbervilles, this is LitChart's analysis of the role of Fate, especially in the last chapter of the book. I did not want to link to our discussion since it might contain spoilers:

"The cruel hand of fate hangs over all the characters and actions of the novel, as Tess Durbeyfield's story is basically defined by the bad things that happen to her. Thomas Hardy himself, as the author of the novel, obviously causes the many unfair coincidences and plot twists that beset Tess, but as narrator he also manages to appear as her only advocate against an unjust world. Tess's hardships are described as mere sport for the 'President of the Immortals,' which contrasts with the Christian idea of a God who has a benevolent plan for everyone, and connects with the notes of paganism throughout the novel."

I also have a feeling of uncertainty when reading this poem. It seems to be saying that the feeling of peace is misleading because the Fates continue to create chaos and turmoil for us. That chaos and turmoil can come to us at any time, without warning, and cause us the most grief and agony.

It's an uneasy poem and fits in well with Elizabeth-Jane's beside vigilant night at her mother's side. l

Petra wrote: "I also have a feeling of uncertainty when reading this poem. It seems to be saying that the feeling of peace is misleading because the Fates continue to create chaos and turmoil for us. That chaos ..."

Yes, I think we all have had times in our personal lives where it seemed like Fate wasn't fair to us. There have also been so many times in history where peace turned into chaos, and it seemed like there was no way to control it. Thanks for commenting, Petra.

This is the first time I have been able to read a poem that is being linked to the novel. I scored The Collected Poems of Thomas Hardy in a thrift shop yesterday. I do like a physical copy of anything I read, especially if I am going to annotate anything.

I appreciated knowing the origins of the title and various definitions & of course the connection that could be made to Elizabeth-Jane's bedside vigil. I have had my own vigil at my mother's bedside and the second stanza really hit home. Trying to find peace in this cycle of life, yet all the emotional turmoil that lies within oneself during that period.

Chris wrote: "This is the first time I have been able to read a poem that is being linked to the novel. I scored The Collected Poems of Thomas Hardy in a thrift shop yesterday. I do like a physical copy of anyth..."

My deepest sympathy on the loss of your mother, Chris. You've expressed so well how Elizabeth-Jane was feeling as she sat by her mother's bed.

That was a great find to discover a book of Hardy's poems at a charity shop! I recently bought a used copy of Thomas Hardy: The Complete Poems. Sometimes the punctuation is not right in the poems we find online, so it really helps to have an accurate hard copy. Of course, it's also wonderful to get introduced to more of Hardy's work!